The liberalisation of dairy production in recent years has accelerated an already established shift from more mixed dairy and beef farming to a rapid expansion in dairy numbers and this is geared to producing milk solids as cheaply as possible form forage and principally grazed grass from a compact Spring calving system.

Most feed companies peddle the usual array of least-cost dairy feeds typically containing significant quantities of cheaper mid-protein ingredients, so that for freshly calved spring calving cows, just turned out to grass, these 18% medium energy feeds are not appropriate because they drive milk volume to the detriment of solids and cow welfare.

We view spring calving cows as being in the early stage of as a long-distance journey that will be repeated successfully over several lactations and nurture this by concentrating on the combined energy and protein requirements of a cow already under pressure and from whom so much is required. Accordingly, we draw on the same principles of effective nutrition and simply chose from the same small pool of superior ingredients to produce simple but very cost-effective dairy feeds to get the very best from the forage that you grow yourself at home.

Grass based Spring Calving requires flexibility

Feeding Spring calving cows being targeted for early turn out to grass is very tricky because they need quality protein in the event that bad weather keeps them indoors on silage but filling the bin with a high protein feed won’t suit them if indeed turnout happens on schedule.

In order to hedge your bets against weather and access to grass, we recommend feeding a high energy medium protein dairy feed in parlour and topping this up with an appropriate high PDI weaner ration or (or soya) as dictated by weather until you get cows out to grass and progressively reduce protein after that as grass takes over in the diet.
Farmers who are serious about extending cow life and their own profitably will achieve this by best meeting the very different requirements of cows as determined primarily by weather between calving and when they have been turned out to grass full time.